System and method for delivering video on demand

ABSTRACT

A system and method of delivering video on demand includes a web site for receiving customer requests for video content, locating the requested content on one of a plurality of distributed video servers, and arranging the located content to be distributed to the customer&#39;s set top box via a broadband connection.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 60/259,903 entitled “System and Method forDelivering Video on Demand” filed on Jan. 8, 2001 by Mauro DiDomenico,the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to telecommunications and moreparticularly to delivering video on demand.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Ever since the invention of the motion pictures, consumers have beenclamoring for both convenience and selection in their audiovisualentertainment options. For example, the single-screen movie theater haslargely been replaced by multiplex movies theaters having multiplescreens showing many different movies at dozens of viewing times. Overthe past few decades, cable television programming offers hundreds ofchannels filled with movies and other forms of audio video programming.These approaches are not convenient for people because the programmingis shown at a specific time, for which customers must arrange theirschedules. Accordingly, the latest trend in video programming isvideo-on-demand (VOD), which not only provides a wide array of movie andvideo selections but allows the consumer the convenience of choosingwhen the selected programming is to be delivered to the consumer's home.

In conventional video-on-demand systems, the customer has a set top boxthat is used to communicate up-stream to the headend server through alow-speed connection on the same network transmission path that deliversthe downstream broadband video selections to the set top box. In theseconfigurations, the headend is typically a site that houses the videoserver, storage and other server components for the two-wayinteractivity and program delivery. These systems require sophisticatedand expensive set top boxes and place a great deal of stress on thevideo server's communication interface that ties the server into thebroadband network. This server-network problem is typically cast interms of the number of simultaneous, or contemporaneous, video streamsthat the server can deliver to the network. The number of streams isequal to the number of customers seeking VOD service at any point intime. One solution to this problem is to replicate video server sitesand video content and use the servers as nodal points for serving groupsof customers. In these conventional configurations, however, there isconsiderable difficulty in aggregating different video content indifferent servers and connecting “through” one server to find and reachcontent stored on another server.

One factor that is impeding the acceptance of VOD services is theconcern among copyright owners of the video material about piracy, whichis the unauthorized duplication of the owner's movies and other videocontent. For example, some customers are beginning to use set top boxesthat have a large hard disk that stores the movie, thereby providingVCR-like functionality, such as pause and rewind. Because a copy of themovie is stored at the customer's premises, there is the possibilitythat that copy would be pirated, i.e. reproduced without authorization.Consequently, there has been much interest in using encryption toprotect the video content, but encryption is costly in terms of softwareand hardware support and difficult to manage properly with hundreds ofthousands of customers in a manner that does not compromise security.For these reason there is a need for a way to protect the owner'scopyright in the video content without spoiling the customer'sconvenience.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the difficulties of conventional VODsystems by connecting a video-on-demand (VOD) portal to a multiplicityof media-server/video-asset-storage sites from which video contentselected by the customer can be downloaded to the customer's residence.The VOD portal may be accessed through the Internet from a home PC andprovides the interactivity leading to video (program) selection to takeplace. The VOD portal is connected via the Internet to the multiplicityof video servers where the video content is stored. Distributed searchsoftware is employed to locate the video server on which the customer'svideo program selection resides. The search software in effect tiestogether the multiplicity of video servers to the web-site/portalthereby creating in effect a giant integrated headend server. Thisintegrated server is capable of representing the stored content on theindividual servers as a single video content directory at the portal.The portal controls the delivery of content from the individual serversand provides for the downloading of the customer's program selectionfrom the appropriate video server where the content resides.

On command from the VOD portal, the appropriate video server downloadsthe video program material that the customer selected to his/herresidence by making an IP call to his/her set top box using the H.323protocol. The downloaded video signal travels through broadband Internetconnections to the customer's “last mile” broadband connection, whichcan be, for example, either cable or DSL (digital subscriber line). Inthis embodiment of VOD distribution, the VOD headend comprises anetworked collection of video-server/video-asset-storage sites allconnected together via the Internet and all under the control of the VODportal, which serves as the customer's point of contact for obtainingall the customer's on-demand video programming needs. The searchsoftware that links all the server/storage sites to the eVideo Web siteinsures that the customer's video selection can be automatically locatedvia a centralized directory at the portal site and downloaded to thecustomer's residence.

In one implementation, attaching a piece of active code to eachdownloaded video file provides protection over the copyright owner'scontent on the customer's set top boxes. The active code, whendownloaded, causes the downloaded video file to be deleted after a setamount of time or upon viewing the video file. Thus, video content isbeing protected from piracy without having to use costly and difficultto manage encryption techniques.

Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomereadily apparent from the following detailed description, simply by wayof illustration of the best mode contemplated of carrying out theinvention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other anddifferent embodiments, and its several details are capable ofmodifications in various obvious respects, all without departing fromthe invention. Accordingly, the drawing and description are to beregarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by wayof limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in whichlike reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a network for providing video-on-demand services inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 depicts a computer system that can be used to implement anembodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A system, method, and software for video-on-demand are described. In thefollowing description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, toone skilled in the art that the present invention may be practicedwithout these specific details. In other instances, well-knownstructures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoidunnecessarily obscuring the present invention.

System Overview

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary configuration of one embodiment of thepresent invention, in which a customer's premise 100 includes a personalcomputer (PC) 102 and at television with a set top box 104. Although thePC 102 and the set top box 104 are illustrated separately, they may becombined into a single, high-end set top box 104 capable of Internetconnections. The PC 102 is in communication with a video-on-demand (VOD)portal 120 via the Internet 110.

The VOD portal 120 is preferably housed at a web site and is connectedto a plurality of media-server/video-asset-storage sites 130 from whichvideo content selected by the customer can be downloaded to thecustomer's residence. The video content preferably comprises digitallyencoded video material that is readily transmitted over a computernetwork. For example, the video content may be encoded in one of thevarious MPEG coding standards, such as MPEG1, which provides VHS-likequality at 1.5 Mb/sec, and MPEG2, which provides DVD-like quality at 4-6Mb/sec. The present invention is not limited to these particular videoformats, and the video content can be encoded in any of a variety ofdifferent formats and transmitted in a variety of different ways.

The VOD portal 120 may be accessed through the Internet 110 from thehome PC102 and provides the interactivity path where video (program)selection takes place. The VOD portal 120 is connected via the Internet122 to the video servers 130 where the video content is stored.Distributed search software is employed to create a centralized videocontent directory at the portal site and to locate the video server 130on which the customer's video program selection resides, bycommunicating with a respective video server 132 that is responsible formanaging the video content in a video database 134.

Various kinds of distributed search software may be employed. Forexample, the VOD portal 120 may record an entry for every video filestored on a video server 132. Thus, the VOD portal 120 indexes all ofthe video files stored on all of the video servers 132 in a centralizedlisting. In this approach, the VOD portal 120 provides a searchcapability that allows the customer to specify search criteria, such asthe title, category (action, drama, comedy, etc.), actor, director,studio and year. In another approach, the search can be peer-to-peer, inwhich the VOD portal 120 queries the various video servers 132 for thecustomer's search criteria and integrates the results form the videoservers 132 into a single list and present the list to the user.

On command from the VOD portal 120, the appropriate video server 132makes an IP connection to the customer's set top box 104 using, forexample, the H.323 protocol. The video server 132 may obtain thecustomer's IP address information from the VOD portal 120, whichmaintains that information, received initially from the customer as partof the customer's registration profile. Upon making the IP connection tothe customer's set top box 104, the video server 132 specifies thenetwork path through which the video program material that the customerselected is downloaded to the customer's set top box. In oneimplementation, the video server 132 may use RSVP to obtain the networkpath (a tunnel through the network) and the Realtime Transfer Protocol(RTP) to set up this Internet connection.

The download travels through broadband Internet connections 112 to thecustomer's “last mile” broadband connection 114, which can be eithercable or DSL (digital subscriber line). In this embodiment of VODdistribution, the VOD headend is in reality a networked collection ofvideo-server/video-asset-storage sites 130 all connected together viathe Internet 122 and all under the control of the VOD portal 120, whichserves as the customers' portal for obtaining all their on-demand videoprogramming needs. The search software that links all the server/storagesites 130 to the VOD portal 120 insures that the customer's videoselection can be automatically located and downloaded to the customer'sresidence 100.

Set Top Box and Customer Interface

One aspect of the present invention relates to simplifying theinteractive programming interface so as to create a simple, familiar,and as inexpensive customer interface. A simple and familiar interactiveinterface is the PC Web browser. This is an interface that is widelyaccepted and used worldwide in homes and businesses for obtaininginformation and conducting e-commerce. In accordance with this aspect ofthe present invention, the PC is used to access the VOD portal where allprogram selections are made and where the schedule for viewing programsis made. Viewing can be instantaneous (true VOD) or delayed depending onthe choice made by the customer. By entering the VOD portal via astandard Internet connection through a customer owned PC, the customerinterface for VOD parallels exactly what customers are exposed to on theweb and the e-commerce experiences they are familiar and comfortablewith.

By using a PC/web site interface for program selection the VOD set topbox is simplified and thereby made significantly less expensive than settop boxes used in conventional VOD schemes. In the accordance with anembodiment of the present invention, the function of the set top box isto decode the MPEG video stream down loaded to the customer's residence.The set top box has a network interface unit that enables it toaccommodate cable connections or DSL connections. It complies with theH.323 protocol standard that governs the delivery of IP video from theserver to the set top box. The set top box has an IP address that iscommunicated by the customer to VOD portal when the VOD/e-entertainmentprogram selection session is set up. Preferably, the customers' set topbox IP address would be stored in the customer's PC hard drive anddelivered to the web site when the web site is reached and communicatedto the VOD portal when the interactive VOD session begun. All of theinformation for compliant set top boxes is made available through theVOD portal, enabling customers to make their own selection of set topboxes that are available on the market. Since the compliant set top boxis a simple decoding box, it advantageously is easily integrated intostandard cable set top boxes allowing customers to have one set top boxfor cable and VOD.

In other embodiments, such as in high-end set top box markets, thebrowser Internet function provided by stand alone PCs as described abovecould be integrated in the set top box itself. These set top boxes allowcustomers to reach the VOD portal through the set top box and to conductthe VOD interactive program selection session on their televisionscreens.

The set top box can also comprise a hard disk and associated softwarefor buffering the incoming the video stream. This capability allows theuser to employ VCR-like controls on the downloaded content, such aspause, rewind, and frame-by-frame move. To address piracy concerns onsuch intelligent set top boxes without necessarily using encryption, thedownloaded video file can include a piece of active code thatautomatically deletes the video file after a set amount of time (e.g.two or three hours) or upon completion of viewing the video file.

Broadband Network Issues

Another aspect of the present invention pertains to creating a Web siteand portal for making program selections and to link the Web site withvideo server and storage centers from which video program deliveryoccurs. The video programs are delivered over the broadband Internet bymeans of IP video that conforms to the H.323 protocol standard. It isassumed that customers have “last mile” broadband connections of theirown and that these have sufficient bandwidth to support the delivery ofvideo streams (all local network requirements are posted on the eVideoWeb site). This means that anyone with a broadband connection—a cableconnection, or a DSL connection, or a DBS connection—is a potentialcustomer for VOD service.

VOD Headend

Another aspect of the present invention involves separating content, orvideo asset, aggregation and delivery from the customer interfacefunctions of program navigation and selection. When this is done, acompound VOD headend configuration can be created having an integratedcollection of physically and geographically separated component parts.Central to this embodiment is a centralized, common Web site connectedto a multiplicity of video servers and video storage sites. Theadvantages of this approach lies not only in the creation of a dispersedheadend, but in the dispersion of video content in a multiplicity ofserver sites having software linkages where each server has some of theaggregate total video content available to customers.

The software linking the multiplicity of server and storage sites mayemploy a centralized or a peer-to-peer listing capability. This softwareallows the video servers to be integrated in such a way that anycustomer's video content selection could be located on the videodatabase of the server it resides in. From that video server, theselected video program is streamed over the Internet to the customer'sset top box on-demand. The video content may be encrypted and stored onthe servers and the set top boxes would contain the de-encryptionsoftware to protect the content providers against any pirating of thevideo content. Other protections may include firewalls between the website and the video server sites to make the distributed headend secure.

This is a powerful headend configuration, which enables some embodimentsof the present invention to have one common VOD e-entertainment portalthrough a centralized Web site. It allows embodiments of the presentinvention to place video servers anywhere it chooses to. It allows thepresent invention to disperse video content in ways that satisfy thedemands and needs of video content providers and producers. It allowscontent providers and producers to control the distribution and pricingof their content since their content can be dealt with and managedseparately and individually. Importantly, it allows embodiments of thepresent invention to optimize the streaming of video content into thenetwork so as to reduce and minimize (eliminate) traffic congestionproblems that occur in the conventional configurations where the contentis stored centrally in the database of a central video server.

Business Model

The approach to VOD and e-entertainment outlined herein and shownschematically in FIG. 1 creates the opportunity for a new business modelfor VOD distribution. In this model, customers have control of theentertainment products they buy. They only pay for what they see on apay per view basis. All pricing is handled through the eVideo Web siteand all transactions are through credit card purchases. In essence,customers have a completely automated virtual video store at theirdisposal any time of day. All of the video components from the customerside are customer owned or customer obtained, such as the localbroadband connection and set top box. The VOD provider sets up the Website creating the VOD and e-entertainment portal. The e-commercefunctions that are part of the VOD would occur through the eVideo Website. The VOD provider would set up through ownership, or partneringrelationships, the video server network configuration with the searchsoftware that integrates all the server sites together. The VOD providermarkets its VOD delivery capabilities to video content providers andproducers giving them the opportunity to reach customers on the termsand conditions that are best suited to their business interests. Fromthe standpoint of content producers, the VOD provider is creating anelectronic virtual theater with electronic ticketing for video assetevent distribution to a wide assortment of customers that have broadbandconnections. These customers could be in cable networks, DSL networks,or DBS networks.

Through the VOD provider's Web site, standard web-based advertisingcould be done which would be a separate source of revenue. In addition,content producers would have the opportunity and option of deliveringtrailers of recent and new films to viewers at their discretion in muchthe same way that advertising trailers are shown on home rentalvideotapes. This adds to the degrees of freedom and control that thepresent invention provides to content distributors and producers.

Hardware Overview

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer system 200 uponwhich embodiments of the invention may be implemented. For example,computer systems can be used to implement the PC 102, the set up box104, the web set 120, and the video server 132. The computer system 200includes a bus 202 or other communication mechanism for communicatinginformation, and a processor 204 coupled with bus 202 for processinginformation. Computer system 200 also includes a main memory 206, suchas a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device, coupledto bus 202 for storing information and instructions to be executed byprocessor 204. Main memory 206 also may be used for storing temporaryvariables or other intermediate information during execution ofinstructions to be executed by processor 204. Computer system 200further includes a read only memory (ROM) 208 or other static storagedevice coupled to bus 202 for storing static information andinstructions for processor 204. A storage device 210, such as a magneticdisk or optical disk, is provided and coupled to bus 202 for storinginformation and instructions.

Computer system 200 may be coupled via bus 202 to a display 212, such asa cathode ray tube (CRT), for displaying information to a computer user.An input device 214, including alphanumeric and other keys, is coupledto bus 202 for communicating information and command selections toprocessor 204. Another type of user input device is cursor control 216,such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys for communicatingdirection information and command selections to processor 204 and forcontrolling cursor movement on display 212. This input device typicallyhas two degrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (e.g., x) and asecond axis (e.g., y), that allows the device to specify positions in aplane.

The invention is related to the use of computer system 200 for providingvideo-on-demand. According to one embodiment of the invention,video-on-demand is provided by computer system 200 in response toprocessor 204 executing one or more sequences of one or moreinstructions contained in main memory 206. Such instructions may be readinto main memory 206 from another computer-readable medium, such asstorage device 210. Execution of the sequences of instructions containedin main memory 206 causes processor 204 to perform the process stepsdescribed herein. One or more processors in a multi-processingarrangement may also be employed to execute the sequences ofinstructions contained in main memory 206. In alternative embodiments,hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination withsoftware instructions to implement the invention. Thus, embodiments ofthe invention are not limited to any specific combination of hardwarecircuitry and software.

The term “computer-readable medium” as used herein refers to any mediumthat participates in providing instructions to processor 204 forexecution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limitedto, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media.Non-volatile media include, for example, optical or magnetic disks, suchas storage device 210. Volatile media include dynamic memory, such asmain memory 206. Transmission media include coaxial cables, copper wireand fiber optics, including the wires that comprise bus 202.Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic or light waves,such as those generated during radio frequency (RF) and infrared (IR)data communications. Common forms of computer-readable media include,for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape,any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD, any other optical medium,punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns ofholes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip orcartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any other mediumfrom which a computer can read.

Various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying oneor more sequences of one or more instructions to processor 204 forexecution. For example, the instructions may initially be borne on amagnetic disk of a remote computer. The remote computer can load theinstructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions over atelephone line using a modem. A modem local to computer system 200 canreceive the data on the telephone line and use an infrared transmitterto convert the data to an infrared signal. An infrared detector coupledto bus 202 can receive the data carried in the infrared signal and placethe data on bus 202. Bus 202 carries the data to main memory 206, fromwhich processor 204 retrieves and executes the instructions. Theinstructions received by main memory 206 may optionally be stored onstorage device 210 either before or after execution by processor 204.

Computer system 200 also includes a communication interface 218 coupledto bus 202. Communication interface 218 provides a two-way datacommunication coupling to a network link 220 that is connected to alocal network 222. For example, communication interface 218 may be anintegrated services digital network (ISDN) card or a modem to provide adata communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line.As another example, communication interface 218 may be a local areanetwork (LAN) card to provide a data communication connection to acompatible LAN. Wireless links may also be implemented. In any suchimplementation, communication interface 218 sends and receiveselectrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital datastreams representing various types of information.

Network link 220 typically provides data communication through one ormore networks to other data devices. For example, network link 220 mayprovide a connection through local network 222 to a host computer 224 orto data equipment operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) 226.ISP 226 in turn provides data communication services through theworldwide packet data communication network, now commonly referred to asthe “Internet” 228. Local network 222 and Internet 228 both useelectrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital datastreams. The signals through the various networks and the signals onnetwork link 220 and through communication interface 218, which carrythe digital data to and from computer system 200, are exemplary forms ofcarrier waves transporting the information.

Computer system 200 can send messages and receive data, includingprogram code, through the network(s), network link 220, andcommunication interface 218. In the Internet example, a server 230 mighttransmit a requested code for an application program through Internet228, ISP 226, local network 222, and communication interface 218. Inaccordance with the invention, one such downloaded application providesfor providing video-on-demand as described herein. The code may beexecuted by processor 204 as it is received, and/or stored in storagedevice 210, or other non-volatile storage for later execution. In thismanner, computer system 200 may obtain application code in the form of acarrier wave.

While this invention has been described in connection with what ispresently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment,it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to thedisclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover variousmodifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

1. A method comprising: receiving, from a computer of a user, a networkaddress corresponding to a set-top box; receiving information forselecting video content stored in one of a plurality of video servers;determining a particular one of the plurality of video servers storingthe selected video content; and forwarding the network address to theparticular video server storing the selected video content, wherein theparticular video server is configured to directly communicate with theset-top box for delivery of the selected video content.
 2. A methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the particular video server is configuredto attach a piece of active code to the selected video content, suchthat, upon execution of the active code, the set-top box deletes theselected video content from the set-top box.
 3. A method according toclaim 1, wherein the set-top box deletes the selected video content fromthe set-top box after a set amount of time.
 4. A method according toclaim 1, wherein the set-top box deletes the video content from theset-top box after viewing the selected video content.
 5. A methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the network address corresponds to aninternet protocol (IP) address.
 6. A method according to claim 1,further comprising: aggregating a list of available video contentassociated with the plurality of video servers; and generating the listto the user for selecting the selected video content.
 7. An apparatuscomprising: a processor configured to receive, from a computer of auser, a network address corresponding to a set-top box, and to receiveinformation for selecting video content stored in one of a plurality ofvideo servers, wherein the processor is further configured to determinea particular one of the plurality of video servers storing the selectedvideo content, and to forward the network address to the particularvideo server storing the selected video content, the particular videoserver being configured to directly communicate with the step-top boxfor delivery of the selected video content.
 8. An apparatus according toclaim 7, wherein the particular video server is configured to attach apiece of active code to the selected video content, such that, uponexecution of the active code, the set-top box deletes the selected videocontent from the set-top box.
 9. An apparatus according to claim 7,wherein the set-top box deletes the selected video content from theset-top box after a set amount of time.
 10. An apparatus according toclaim 7, wherein the set-top box deletes the selected video content fromthe set-top box after viewing the selected video content.
 11. Anapparatus according to claim 7, wherein the network address correspondsto an internet protocol (IP) address.
 12. An apparatus according toclaim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to aggregate a listof available video content associated with the plurality of videoservers, and to generate the list to the user for selecting the selectedvideo content.
 13. A system comprising: a plurality of video contentservers being respectively configured to store video content; and a webserver configured to communicate with the plurality of video contentservers and to receive, from a computer of a user, a network addresscorresponding to a set-top box, wherein the web server is furtherconfigured to forward the network address to a particular one of theplurality of video servers based on user selection, via the web server,of video content, and wherein the particular video server is furtherconfigured to directly establish a connection to the set-top box fordelivery of the selected video content.
 14. A system according to claim13, wherein the particular video server is configured to attach a pieceof active code to the selected video content, such that, upon executionof the active code, the set-top box deletes the selected video contentfrom the set-top box.
 15. A system according to claim 13, wherein theset-top box deletes the selected video content from the set-top boxafter a set amount of time.
 16. A system according to claim 13, whereinthe set-top box deletes the selected video content from the set-top boxafter viewing the selected video content.
 17. A system according toclaim 13, wherein the network address corresponds to an internetprotocol (IP) address.
 18. A system according to claim 13, wherein theweb server is further configured to aggregate a list of available videocontent associated with the plurality of video servers, and to providethe list to the user for selecting the selected video content.